By Courtney L. Anderson
MERCER COUNTY — Mercer County Housing Authority staff have been “caught off guard” by the volume of people seeking help through their homelessness prevention and rehousing program, authority Executive Director L. DeWitt Boosel said.
Authority staff said they get at least 40 phone calls a day from people looking for information about the program, which is paid for with a $400,000 stimulus-funded grant Mercer County secured in December.
The grant doesn’t include much money for administration, Boosel said, and dealing with the amount of work involved is a challenge the authority is working through.
Authority Section 8 Coordinator Cheryl Artis said they probably see at least 20 people a week through the program and the number of folks seeking assistance in preventing homelessness is a bit higher than those looking for a new place to live.
“We’ve helped a good percentage of them,” Ms. Artis said Wednesday, but they’ve had to turn some people down because of restrictions in the grant guidelines.
Boosel said the services have to lead to permanent housing for the clients, so unfortunately they aren’t able to give financial assistance to all who apply.
Authority officials hope an agreement with a local social service agency will be a step toward helping those who don’t qualify for financial assistance, Boosel said.
Authority commissioners on Wednesday accepted a proposal from Community Counseling Center, Hermitage, to provide counseling for the program. Commissioner Timothy Jablon abstained from the unanimous vote, because he is on the center’s board of directors.
The center will be paid $25 an hour for data entry and report generation and up to $56 an hour for case management. The funds will come from the grant, Boosel said.
Boosel said the center’s counselors can offer support for the near-homeless.
Ms. Artis said the grant allows them to provide money toward rent and utilities for up to 18 months.
The program, which includes long-term guidance from a counselor and budgeting assistance, is designed to help remove barriers keeping people from getting a home. That could mean short-term rental assistance or money for moving costs or to get utility bills out of arrears.
